SEX HORMONES SLEEP AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHMICITY IN AGING

随着年龄的增长，控制睡眠的过程发生了变化， 在其他方面健康的老年人中， 个体 很可能在许多方面与年龄有关的变化 生理系统相互作用产生这些睡眠问题。 一 这种系统是下丘脑-垂体-性腺（HPG）轴。 性腺 类固醇随着年龄的增长而显著下降， 对下丘脑的负反馈，以及不受调节的 促黄体生成激素（LH）和促卵泡激素（FSH）。 最近 有证据表明，这些变化继续下去，并随着 年龄增长。 性腺激素水平的变化会影响老年人的睡眠质量 都有传闻和经验证据支持。 例如最多 三分之二的围绝经期妇女抱怨睡眠问题。 此外，较高的LH水平与从睡眠中醒来有关， 激素替代疗法改善了客观测量的睡眠。 尽管对男性性激素和睡眠的研究很少， 老年男性的睾酮水平与贫困有关 睡眠质量事实上，为数不多的评估睡眠的研究 与年龄相关的HPG功能变化相关的投诉 强烈建议需要进一步调查。 此外，本发明还提供了一种方法， 虽然人们普遍认为昼夜节律计时系统的变化 导致老年人的睡眠问题，人们对此知之甚少。 性激素释放的昼夜节律模式是否被修改为 老化的功能。 拟议的研究计划结合了时间生物学的方法， HPG轴在衰老过程中的变化研究， 性激素水平是否与年龄相关的睡眠有关 问题 一项研究将评估是否有昼夜节律， 独立于睡眠的性激素，以及性腺的模式 激素释放随年龄增长而改变。 第二项研究将审查 性类固醇和促性腺激素的平衡是否不同， 无睡眠问题的老年人和有睡眠问题的老年人 维持性失眠 综合这些研究的结果 将阐明我们对性激素、睡眠和昼夜节律 节律性在衰老中相互作用，为研究 激素替代疗法治疗老年人睡眠问题 个体

Changes in the processes controlling sleep that accompany aging result in widespread complaints of sleep disturbance in otherwise healthy older individuals. It is likely that age-related changes in many physiological systems interact to produce these sleep problems. One such system is the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. Gonadal steroids exhibit significant declines with age, resulting in altered negative feedback to the hypothalamus, and unregulated production of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Recent evidence demonstrates that these alterations continue and worsen with increasing age. That changing levels of gonadal hormones affect sleep quality in aging is supported by both anecdotal and empirical evidence. For example, up to two-thirds of perimenopausal women complain of sleep problems. Further, higher LH levels are associated with awakenings from sleep, and hormone replacement therapy improves objectively-measured sleep. Although investigations of sex hormones and sleep in men are rare, lower levels of testosterone in aging men have been associated with poorer sleep quality. Indeed, the few studies that have assessed sleep complaints in the context of age-associated changes in HPG functioning strongly suggest that further investigation is needed. In addition, while changes in the circadian timing system are widely believed to contribute to sleep problems in older individuals, little is known about whether circadian patterns of sex hormone release are modified as a function of aging. The proposed research plan combines a chronobiological approach to the study of changes in the HPG axis in aging with an investigation of whether sex hormone levels are associated with age-related sleep problems. One study will assess whether there are circadian rhythms in sex hormones independent of sleep, and whether patterns of gonadal hormone release are altered with aging. The second study will examine whether the balance of sex steroids and gonadotropins differs between older individuals without sleep complaints and those with sleep maintenance insomnia. The combination of findings from these studies will clarify our understanding of how sex hormones, sleep, and circadian rhythmicity interact in aging, providing an avenue for investigating hormone replacement therapies as treatments for sleep problems in older individuals.